This year, I must say, Virgin America really rose to the occasion by being incredibly cooperative. We’ve added Air Canada and Spirit Airlines to the list. American, United/Continental, Southwest and US Airways were also helpful, while Delta was not very helpful and Spirit Airlines did not return several calls or e-mails. Finally, the last day they did e-mail a curt response saying they didn’t have time. Really? No time to look at the packages and read off the calories? It was a struggle to get anything from them, so I assume they are just not interested in the health of their customers. Spirit was clearly the least helpful, and in second-to-last place, it was Delta. Delta and Spirit Airlines – shame on you. Aren’t these airlines aware that both food and your health are very important to you?

Since last year, United has taken a step backward, and since they’ve merged they’ve taken down Continental, too. It feels as if they’re giving up on offering healthy items. JetBlue still needs to do more work on their food — they are not a small discount carrier anymore and need to upgrade to real, healthy whole foods, not just #snacks. Last year they offered snack boxes — great, but they still need more nutrient-dense items. And they eliminated the healthy nuts — too bad. US Airways really stepped up their cooperation this year, and they also have one or two healthier items — nice work! American needs to get rid of all the super-high-calorie snacks and meals. They have some of the highest-calorie foods in the air. Air Canada is really amazing in terms of food quality and their focus on health. While most items have the nutritional content on the packaging itself, they also have a nutritional data sheet for all items on board should passengers request the information. That’s incredible. The most improved is Virgin America, which is also paying attention to the health and well-being of their passengers. They have an innovative and creative food program. These two are neck and neck for the top spot this year.

Here are the snack and onboard food-service offerings from several of the more popular airlines, along with #Diet Detective’s comments, ratings (Health Score: 5 stars = highest rating, 0 stars = lowest), calories, exercise equivalents (amount of walking required to burn off the food consumed) and personal favorites.
Air Canada (514-393-3333, www.aircanada.com )Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Extremely helpful.Health Score: (****)Best Bets: This airline cares about its passengers’ health — that’s for sure. The airline calls their food Air Canada NutriCuisine and prides itself on the freshness and optimum quality of ingredients. They contract with a company called Food with a Conscience nutritional program ( www.foodwithaconscience.com) to help create their menu.

They can do slightly better on the individual snack offerings though. Pick the Nissin – Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup. It will fill you up and it’s more like a meal. The cashews need to be shared. They will fill you up but have too many calories for one person. I love the idea of the Celery & Carrots with Ranch Dip — nice touch. I just wish the dip were hummus or something healthier than ranch. As far as the meals go, they are all relatively low in calories. Go for the chicken or roast beef wrap or the vegetarian sandwich (nice!). The healthy oatmeal is also a great offering.

Breakfast Sandwich $5.00
Eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese on an English muffin. Total = 310 calories, 67 minutes of walking.

Blueberry Muffin $3.00
420 calories, 91 minutes of walking.

Second Cup Oatmeal $4.00
Summer berry and sweet vanilla oatmeal. Total = 330 calories, 71 minutes of walking.
Virgin America (877-359-8474, www.virginamerica.com)Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful and most improved. They were incredibly responsive! The calories (lower) and nutrient density (higher) of the items have also improved since last year (although we had to estimate last year’s #nutrition information). What’s also pretty neat about Virgin America is that they offer on-demand in-flight food ordering via a touch-screen on every seatback. You can order any time, not just when the carts come through. Nice work, Virgin America!Health Score: (****)Best Bets: In terms of individual snacks, the PopChips are a low-calorie choice; however, the best choice is the nuts. They are packed with important nutrients and will help keep you full longer than other snack choices. But you still need to split them with someone. The oatmeal is a good breakfast choice at 310 calories — a nice whole grain to get you started in the morning. Virgin’s snack boxes, such as the protein meal with hummus, nuts and tuna, are great. They’ll fill you up and will be a real meal. To be honest, the Jet Set Kid’s Pack could set a better example. I wish it had some healthier choices, but at least it’s relatively low in calories (compared to other airline snack boxes). In terms of meals, the Edamame and Portobello Mushroom Wrap is filled with great stuff and has 9 grams of fiber and 20 grams of protein. Wow! The only negative is the high sodium content (1,300 milligrams). Another good choice is the Egg and Vegetable Salad Wrap, which is filled with high-quality protein and has only 370 calories.

Jet Set Kid’s Pack
Goldfish Crackers (100 calories), Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwiches (130 calories), Giddy Strawberry Dip ’Ems Biscuits (140 calories). Total = 370 calories, 80 minutes of walking.Meals (Available on flights over 2 hours):
Mini Bagels, Yogurt and Fresh Fruit
Mini bagels, plain/strawberry cream cheese, fresh tropical fruit, fruit yogurt. Total = 450 calories, 97 minutes of walking.
Edamame and Portobello Mushroom Wrap
Edamame, fresh mint, walnuts, Portobello mushrooms, arugula, cucumbers, peppers, spinach flatbread, tropical fruit salad. Total = 620 calories, 134 minutes of walking.
Egg and Vegetable Salad Wrap
Hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, squash, onions, carrots, spinach, tomato, mayonnaise, flax seed tortilla wrap. Total = 370 calories, 71 minutes of walking.
United Airlines (800-864-8331, www.united.com) / Continental Airlines(800-523-3273, www.continental.com)Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful.Health Score: (*** 1/4)
United has slipped on their snack boxes. Continental and United have merged and now, except for one item, offer the same food choices. Several years ago, United had an amazing assortment of healthy offerings, and was really focused on health. Now there are only a few decent healthy choices; however, the nice thing is that most of the meal choices for lunch and dinner are relatively reasonable in terms of calories. Except for the nuts, all of the individual snack offerings are poor choices.Best Bets: On flights longer than two hours, go for the Tapas, which have some great foods, including almonds, olives, hummus and bruschetta – just toss out the cheese spread. All of the individual snacks are pretty high in calories. I realize they’re meant to be shared, but even so, there is no one standout among them. If you have a family of five or six (not very likely) and wanted to split the almonds, they are really the only snack choice that has real nutritional value. You should avoid the chips and cinnamon rolls. That doesn’t leave too many individual snack options. All the snack packs are very high in calories. There are elements in each that are OK; however, if I had to choose, the Savory is probably the best — just watch that fruit-and-nut mix. In terms of meals, the yogurt is not too bad for breakfast. Skip the cheese and fruit plate — it gives the illusion of being healthy, but it’s not at all, and there is really not much fruit to speak of other than the dried fruit.

For flights longer than three hours, United has several healthy choices, but I really like the Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad at 360 calories, including the dressing. The other choices, including the Asian Noodle Salad, Thai Chicken Wrap and Turkey Sandwich, are OK choices compared to those of other airlines, and in term of calories they are decent for lunch or dinner. For breakfast, your best bet is the Yogurt Parfait – or, if you’re interested in meat ,you can order the Ham and Cheddar Rustic Ciabatta Sandwich, which is 318 calories (not bad), and you can get rid of half the roll and save about 100 calories.
Snack and Meal Choices (Available on most flights over 2 hours):

Angus Cheeseburger $7.99 (Continental only)
Beef burger, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, served with traditional condiments. Total = 510 calories, 110 minutes of walking.
US Airways (480-693-0800, www.usairways.com )Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: This year the media communications department was helpful and tried to provide as much information as possible. Thank you!Health Score: (** 3/4)Best Bets: The CafePlus is not bad because, at the very least, you get the protein from the tuna, and it’s low in calories. Maybe you can get rid of the cookies (give them to the flight attendant as a gift). I also like the Cobb Salad, and the good news is that the dressing is typically on the side. In terms of snacks, the only one that looks good is the chips and salsa at 130 calories. The nuts would be great; however, you need to split them with eight to 10 people. Avoid the new Bacon/Egg Salad Croissant Box at more than 700 calories.
Snacks and Snack Boxes

Flaky croissant filled with turkey bacon, cheese and egg salad complemented by fresh fruit and yogurt. Total = 730 calories, 158 minutes walking.
JetBlue Airways (800-538-2583, www.jetblue.com )Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful.Health Score: (**3/4) Last year JetBlue started to offer more than just snacks, but only on longer flights. The problem is that they still need to add some healthier real meals and snack options. The individually packaged snacks are portion-controlled; however, most are lacking in any real nutritional value. And the worst part is that they no longer sell nuts — which were the most nutrient-dense offering they had.Best Bets: Not much in the snack area to eat other than the Quaker Multigrain Fiber Crisps. They are made with whole-grain oats — nice touch. Try to stick with no more than one snack. Just because they are free and they let you take more than one doesn’t mean you have to take them, especially if you’re not hungry. In terms of the meal boxes, the Shape Up is the clear winner if you’re thinking of this as a meal. It has 8 grams of fiber and only 2 grams of unhealthy saturated fat. While the Cheer Up is low in calories, I’m not sure it will do the trick as a meal. However, if you’re just looking for a snack and you share it with someone, you’re only at 130 calories.Snacks (individual): (snacks are free)
– Linden’s Chocolate Chippers (135 calories, 29 minutes of walking).
– Quaker Multigrain Fiber Crisps- Blackberry Pomegranate (90 calories, 19 minutes of walking).
– PopCorners Popcorn Chips (140 calories, 30 minutes of walking).
– Stauffer’s Original Animal Crackers – 1-ounce bag (100 calories, 22 minutes of walking).
– Terra Blues Potato Chips – 1-ounce bag (130 calories, 28 minutes of walking).

Cheer Up $5.99
Trio of premium cheeses: Swiss, smoked cheddar and hot pepper, dried apples and cranberries, crackers. Total = 260 calories, 56 minutes of walking.
American Airlines (817-963-1234, www.aa.com)Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful.Health Score: (**1/2) Their snacks are still high in calories with few healthy offerings.Best Bets: Your best bet is the Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Pretzels; at least the hummus has a few health benefits. The Fruit and Nut Blend is a decent nutrition choice, but make sure to split it with at least two other people. Nuts are very high in calories but will help fill you up. If you’re on a longer flight, the best choice is a new item — Marcus Samuelsson’s New American Table Turkey and Chutney Sandwich, which is packed with protein and even has apple slices on the sandwich for flavor. It’s only 323 calories without the chips (give them away or refuse them). Another good choice is the Boston Market Chicken Caesar Salad with chips (which you can give away) and dressing for 660 calories. I like the fact that the dressing is on the side (use it sparingly). Again, you need to make sure you differentiate a snack from a meal. A 600-calorie snack is very high; however, a 600-calorie meal, especially for dinner, can be reasonable. Watch out for the Boston Market Deli Chicken Pesto and the Boston Market Turkey Carver — they have way too many calories for one person. For breakfast, the fruit and cheese plate is an OK choice. I like it because at least it has walnuts and grapes, and the cheese portions are small. The Breakfast Café Croissant Sandwich is low in calories at 320, and the ham might fill you up nicely. The other breakfast choices are high in calories, low in nutrients or both.
Snack and Meal Choices:

Available on afternoon transcontinental and Hawaii flights that depart before 8 p.m.

Chicken Caesar Salad $10.00
Crisp romaine lettuce, all white-meat chicken and Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheeses. Served with creamy Caesar dressing and SunChips on the side. Total = 660 calories, 143 minutes of walking.
Delta Air Lines (404-773-0305, www.delta.com)Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Not helpful at all. I had to contact them repeatedly. They are back to their old ways.Health Score: (** 1/4) Delta’s individual snack choices are not very good, but their meal choices on longer flights are reasonably healthy. Still, they can do much better.Best Bets: In terms of individual snacks, there are no good options; however, sharing a Flight Delights snack box is a pretty good idea (or have it as a meal and eat the whole thing). It has a variety of nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories for what you get. Of the breakfast options (on flights of 3 ½ hours or longer) your best bet is the Breakfast Snack, which has light yogurt and a fresh banana. Delta also offers a fruit and cheese plate that’s available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cheese is very high in calories, but it’s still a nice option if you skip the crackers; at least you’re getting some nutritional benefit from what you’re eating. For lunch/dinner options, there are not too many offerings. You have the Chicken and Turkey Cuban at 552.5 calories or the Turkey Peppercorn Ranch Ciabatta at 576 calories. The chicken and turkey is the lower-calorie choice and is probably healthier based on the ingredients — try to have only half the bread.

Southwest Airlines (214-792-4223, www.southwest.com )Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful; really very nice people.Health Score: (*3/4) Not much variety and not much in terms of nutritional value.Best Bet: Go for the nuts and skip the pretzels and other items.Cost: Free.
Snacks:

On select flights:
· Nabisco Airplane Cookie (120 calories, 26 minutes of walking).
Spirit Airlines (800-772-7117, www.spirit.com)Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: None. They did not return any phone calls or e-mails. We tried to reach their media department at least 10 times by e-mail, phone and even cellphone. Their only response was that they didn’t have time to provide the information in time for our deadline. Huh? The info is on the package. I guess Spirit figures if they price their seats low enough they will get passengers. Well, have you heard of People’s Express? No? They had the same philosophy. You need to care about your passengers. Shame on you, Spirit Airlines.Health Score: (*)Best Bet: Bring your own food!!! However, I guess the soup, at only 300 calories, could work as a meal. Keep in mind that all the calorie information below was estimated by our staff from the Spirit Airline menu descriptions and food manufacturers’ websites.

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